Door latch



y \1932- E. 1.. WILSON v 1,858,608

DOOR LATCH Filed May 19, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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y 1932- E. L. WILSON 1,858,608

DOOR LATCH Filed May 19, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE4NTOR. W

A TTORNEYS.

y 932. E. L WILSON I 1,858,608

- DooR LATCH Filed May 19,1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 4o INVE N TOR.

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Patented May 17, 1932 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELLIS L. WILSON, OFSAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA DOOR LATCH Application filed May 19, 1930.Serial No. 453,603.

This invention relates to door looks or 10, showing the latch mechanisminstalled latches and especially to that type known as in a door,

door locks. Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on The object of .thepresent invention is to l1ne XX of Fig, 9, g generally improve andsimplify the construc- Fig. 11 1s a detailed section showing an ex- 55tion and operation of door latches; to protension bearing for one of theauxiliary end vide a housing for the reception ofa retrac- P ates,

tor, a, roll-back, and a, spindle, said housing Flg. 12 is a verticallongitudinal section Of having a rib fonned in one end and a. removthelatch IIlCl12tI11S1'I1 SllOWlI1g it installed in able plate in theopposite end, said remov a d00r,sa1 d section being taken on line XII-60 able plate and rib forming a three-point XII of Fig. 9, track orguideway for the retractor; to prog. 1S a Similar section showing the idl t ll dj tabl n ti b application of a standard form of escutcheon tweenthe latch and the retractor to take pl te.

care of doors of varying thickness; to provide e lng to the drawings indetail and 65 a housing having an angular perforated particularly F igs.l to 7 inclusive, A indiflange t one d f th reception f d cates acylindrical shaped housing which screws whereby the housing may besecured may b fq med from sheet metal by stampi a d 1- j d d tl f thegcutcheon 111g, pressing, or otherwise. The housing is plates;andfurther, to provide an auxiliary provided with ,an integral bottomsection 2, 70

end plate whereby escutcheon plates may be having a bearing extension 3through which secured t th inner d Outer f f the the splndle is insertedas will hereinafter be door by means of wood screws and in such adescribed. The bottom section is also promahner th t th w d screws willb nvided with an inwardly pressed rib 4 which l d. forms one member of aguide track whereby 75 Th d l t h i Shown b way f illugthe retractor isguided as will later be detration in the accompanying drawings, in sllbed- One side of the housing is out hi h away as indicated at 5 forthe reception of Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the housing, a trackplate and it is further cut away as Fig. 2 is a perspective view of theretraclndicated at 6 to permit a retractor rod to 8 tor, pass throughthe housing to form a connec- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of therolltion with the retractor. The end of the back, housing is providedwith an annular angu- Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the lat h larlydisposed flange 7. TlllS is perforated it as shown at 8 and is providedwith an elon- Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the track gated Slot thePerforatlon 8 311161 e ot 9 plate, being provided for the receptlon ofwood l v i Fig. 6 1s a perspective vlew of the housing scre hereby thfmsmg is .Secured a Cover plate door. i he housing 1s otherwlseprovided J1 with two lot 11 h 1 h i 2 7 1S a perspectlve Vlew Oi anauxlllary the slot ll re csiv in oiie le litl f thi iabli end Platewhereby l escutcheon Plate 18 plate while the slot? receives the otherend. cured to either the inner or outer face of a Slot 12 receives thelug of a Cover plate as door or to both, b

will hereinafter be described. 45 8 15 an end Vlew of the houslng Theretractor is substantially U-shaped in gether ht Q Plate use/$1 1110011111110" cross section as shown in Fig. 2. It consists n n therew th,said View showlng the of an end section 13 in one face of which is nerof securing the housing in the door, formed a groove 1a which is engagedby the Fig. 9 is a central vertical longitudinal guide ribor trackmember 4. It is provided 50 cross section taken on line IX-IX of Fig.with two drilled holes such as shown at 15 and a, these holes beingtapped or threaded for the reception of the inner end of the retractorrod 15?), see Fig. 4. The retractor is otherwise provided with tworearwardly extending legs 16 and these are in turn provided with rightangular outwardly turned lugs 17 which are adapted to be engaged by theroll-back member.

The roll-back member is shown in Fig. 3. It consists of a hub member 18having two bearing extensions 19 and 20. A square opening is formed inthe hub member 18 and the bearing extensions 19 and 20, this openingbeing formed for the reception of an actuating spindle hereinafter to bedescribed. The roll-back is otherwise provided with a cam shaped lug 21which is adapted to engage the lugs 17 of the retractor.

The latch unit employed is shown in Figs. l, 9, and 10. It consists ofan elongated cylindrical shaped housing B which is secured to a faceplate 22 of the usual construction, this plate being provided with screwopenings 23 through which screws may be inserted to secure the faceplate to the edge of a door as shown in Fig. 9. The housing B forms aguide and support for a latch or bolt 24. This latch is provided with aretractor rod 15?) which is connected with a retractor through athreaded connection such as shown. The latch unit is otherwise providedwith a helical compression spring 25 and this functions in the usualmanner to project the latch.

Fig. 5 shows a track plate. It consists of a flat plate such as shown at26. It has two functions, first that of forming a track or guide way forone side of the retractor; and secondly, that of forming a bearing forthe roll-back member, a bearing being formed by forming a centralopening in the plate as indicated at 19a to receive the bearing 19 ofthe roll-back. One end of the plate is provided with a lug which isturned at right angles and then parallel to the plate as shown in Figs.5 and 10. This lug is shown at 27 and it is drilled and tapped as shownat 28 for the reception of a screw 29.

Fig. 6 shows a cover plate which is nothing more or less than flat rounddisc as shown. It is provided with a central opening 20a which functionsas a bearing for the end 20 of the roll-back member. It is also providedwith a perforation or hole 30 for the reception of a screw 29 and it isfurther provided with a lug 31 which is adapted. to enter the slot 12 ofthe main housing.

In actual operation it will be understood that the latch mechanismillustrated and described is designed with two objects in view; first,simplicity and cheapness of manufacture; and secondly, to provide alatch mechanism which can be readily and quickly installed in a door.Installation is accomplished by drilling two holes in the door,

one hole transversely at C and one hole through the edge of the door isindicated at D. When these holes are drilled the door is ready for thereception of the latch mechanism, the spindle, the escutcheon plates,knobs and the latch or bolt unit. Before these parts of the mechanismare inserted it is of course essential that certain parts be assembled.The mechanism contained in the main housing A is usually assembled in afactory and so is the mechanism contained in the latch unit indicated atB, thus merely requiring insertion of the housing A and the unit B andthe insertion of spindle, escutcheon plates, and knobs. In the factory,assembling of the mechanism contained in the main housing A, isaccomplished as follows: The retractor shown in Flg. 2 is first placedin the housing A where groove 14 registers with the guide or track rib4. The track plate, shown in Fig. 5, is then inserted through theopening 5 and when completely inserted lug 27 will rest in the opening 5While the opposite end of the track plate will be supported by the slot11. The roll-back member is then inserted in the opening 19a of thetrack plate and the cover plate shown in Fig. 6 is then appliedcompleting the assembly of this unit, which may be termed the latchactuatin unit. The cover plate is placed in position y inserting lug 31into slot 12, then by pressin the cover plate inwardly it engages lug 27and as openings 28 and 30 register screw 29 may be inserted and screwedinto place thus retaining all the parts inserted in the pro er positionbut leaving the roll-back mem er free to oscillate and the retractorfree to reciprocate.

The latch unit is also assembled in the factory by first inserting thespring 25 and then rod 15?) which carries the latch indicated at 24, theparts bein secured against separation by insertion of a retaining pin orthe like indicated at 24a. When finally assembling in the door, housingA is first inserted in the opening C and when so inserted the annularangular flange 7 will engage the inner surface of the door and as it isconeshaped it will center the housing with relation to the opening C.The housing is here secured by first passing a wood screw through theelongated slot 9 then rotatin the housing until the retractor lines upwith the hole D. The second wood screw is then inserted in theperforation or hole 8 and bot-h screws are screwed into place as shownin Figs. 12 and 13. It will here be noted that the screws pass into thedoor on an angle thus rigidly securing the housing Without in any wayweakening or splitting the surroundin woodwork. After the housing A isinserte and secured, housing B of the latch unit is inserted endwise inthe hole D and latch 24 is rotated to form a threaded connection betweenthe inner end of the retractor rod 15b and one or another of the drilledholes and 15a of the retractor. Doors of different thickness areencountered when installing door latches of this character, hence byproviding two laterally spaced threaded holes such as shown at 15 and15a it is possible to ta re care of doors of different thickness. Whenthe housing B has been inserted and a connection made between the latchand the retractor it is only necessary to insert wood screws through thescrew openings 23 and thus permanently secure the latch unit againstremoval. The next operation is that of inserting the spindle indicatedat F, after which the escutcheon plates 36 and 37 together with knobs 38and 89 may be applied thereby completing the installation.

If ordinary escutcheon plates such as shown in Fig. 13 are to beemployed, spindle F is inserted, escutcheon plates 36a and 3764 are nextapplied and then the knobs, the knobs being applied so as to center andposition the plates 36a and 37a. These plates when centered are thensecured by wood screws 40 in the usual manner while the knobs may besecured by set screws such as shown at 41. This completes aninstallation where ordinary escutcheon plates are employed. In thepresent instance I have disclosed escutcheon plates which may be appliedin such a manner as to conceal the wood screws whereby they are secured.This is accomplished by employing an auxiliary end plate such as shownin Figs. 7 and 12. The auxiliary end plate is nothing I more or lessthan a fiat circular plate such as indicated at 45. This plate isprovided with a central hub member 46 to receive and guide the spindleand it is provided with inwardly and outwardly angularly bent perforatedlugs such as shown at 47 and 48 respectively. An eseutcheon plate suchas shown at 50 is secured to the auxiliary plate by spinning the outeredge of the escutcheon plate over and around the outer edge of theauxiliary plate as shown at 51. The plates supporting the escutcheonplates are applied to the outer face of the door as shown in Fig. 12.Wood screws such as shown in Fig. 2 are then in serted through the lugs47 and 48 through the central opening of the escutcheon plate and as thelugs are disposed on the angle shown a screw criver may be insertedthrough the central opening to turn and drive the screws into place.After the screws have been driven into place the spindle and knobs maybe applied and secured in the usual manner by the set screws 41. Thiscompletes the installation where escutcheon plates such as shown at areemployed.

It should be noted that both the housing A and the auxiliary escutcheonsupporting plates 45 are secured by angularly disposed screws. Suchangular disposition of the screws is exceedingly important as they enterthe wood on an angle which reduces any tendency to splitting the wood toa minimum. Furthermore when a pull is exerted on the knobs or themechanism as a whole is subjected to shock and strain as by slamming thedoor, etc., the stress exerted will be at right angles to the screws.This is also important as stresses thus applied do not tend to loosen orfree the screws as is usually the case. It should otherwise be notedthat the latch actuating mechanism is exceedingly simple and cheap tomanufacture as the housing indicated at A may be stamped, pressed, orotherwise, formed and so may the retractor, the track plate, and theroll-back. The cover plate shown in Fig. 6 may also be stamped and maythe escutcheon plates and the auxiliary plates supporting the same. Themechanism employed is exceedingly simple as far as the problem ofassembly in the factory is concerned and the same may be said of the assembly by mechanics when the mechanism is to be applied to doors.

It has been previously stated that the latch structure is adapted to beinserted in doors of varying thickness. It does happen at times thatexceptionally thick doors are encounter-ed and as it is necessary tocenter the spindle and knobs with relation to the housin and also theescutcheon plates an extension bushing may be employed as shown at inFig. 11. This forms a centering member between the inner end of thehousing and the adjacent escutcheon plate and it also forms a guide forthe spindle.

lVhil-e certain features of the present invention are more or lessspecifically described, I wish it understood that various changes may beresorted to within the scope of the appended claims. Similarly, that thematerials and finishes of the several parts emploved may be such as themanufacturer may decide, or varying conditions or uses may demand.

By referring to Figs. 6 and 10, it will be noted that the cover plate isprovided with an inwardly turned lug 31a. This lug engages one of thelugs 17 on the retractor and limits its movement away from the latchhousing B.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In a latch structure of the character described, ahousing, a rib in one end of the housing, a narrow plate extendingcrosswise of the housing, a retractor reciprocally mounted between saidplate and the end of the housing, and means on the retractor engagingthe opposite edges of the plate and the rib, said rib and plate forminga three-point track upon which the retractor is reciprocally mounted.

2. In a latch structure of the character described, 21 housing, a rib inone end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plateextending crosswise of the housing and ion his

presenting parallel edges forming a pair of trackways, a rectractordisposed between the end of the housing and said track plate, means onone side of the retractor engaging a single trackway, and means on theopposite side of the retractor engaging the track plate, said first andlast named means supporting the retractor with relation to the severaltrackways and permitting reciprocal movement of the retractor.

3. In a latch structure of the character described, a housing, a rib inone end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plateextending crosswise of the housing and presenting parallel edges forminga pair of trackways, a retractor disposed between the end of the housingand said track plate, said retractor having a recess formed in one sideto receive the rib, a pair of lugs formed on the opposite side of theretractor and engaging the parallel edges of the track plate, and aroll-back member engaging said lugs and adapted to transmit reciprocalmovement to the retractor.

4. In a latch structure of the character described, a housing, a rib inone end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plateextending crosswise of the housing and presenting parallel edges forminga pair of trackways, a retractor disposed between the end of the housingand said track plate, said retractor having a recess formed in one sideto receive the rib, a pair of lugs: formed on the opposite side of theretractor and engaging the parallel edges of the track plate, a coverplate on the housing, a spindle extending through said cover plate andthe end of the housing, and a roll-back member mounted on the spindlebetween the cover plate and the track plate and adapted during rotationof the spindle to engage the lugs on the retractor and to impart areciprocal movement thereto.

5. In a latch structure of the character described, a housing, a rib inone end of the housing forming a single trackway, a narrow plateextending crosswise of the housing and presenting parallel edges forminga pair of trackways, a retractor disposed between the end of the housingand said track plate, said retractor having a recess formed in one sideto receive the rib, a pair of lugs formed on the opposite side of theretractor and engaging the parallel edges of the track plate, a coverplate on the housing, a roll-back member disposed between said coverplate and the track plate, and journal members on the roll-back memberextending into the track plate and the cover plate and supporting theroll-back memher.

6. In a latch structure of the character described, a cylindrical shapedelongated housing open at one end and closed by an end member disposedat the opposite end, said housing having slots formed in opposite sides,a track plate extending crosswise of the housing and insertable throughsaid slots, said housing having a second slot formed therein adjacentthe open end of the housing, a threaded lug on the track plate, a coverplate insertable in the open end of the housing supported at one pointby a lug which extends into the third slot, and supported at a pointopposite said slot by the threaded lug on the track plate, and a screwextending through the cover plate and adapted to be secured by thethreaded lug on the track plate, said screw securing the cover plate andtrack plate against removal.

7. In a latch structure of the character de scribed, a cylindricalshaped housing adapted to be inserted in a door having a circularopening bored thansversely therethrough, said opening being larger indiameter than the exterior diameter of the housing, a cone shaped flangeon one end of the housing engageable with the inner face of said openingto center the housing with relation to the opening when insertedtherein, said coneshaped flange having openings formed therein for thereception of wood screws to secure the housing in the transverseopening, Said screws when inserted entering the wood of the door on anangle which is substantially right angular to the face of thecone-shaped flange.

8. In a latch structure of the character described, an escutcheon plate,an escutcheon plate secured thereto,said escutcheon plate having acentral opening formed therein, and a plurality of angularly disposedperforated lugs formed on the end plate for the reception of securingscrews which are insertable through the central opening in theescutcheon plate.

9. In a latch structure of the character described, a cylindrical shapedhousing adapted to be inserted in a door having a circular opening boredtransversely therethrough, escutcheon plates applicable to the oppositefaces of the door to conceal said housing, each plate comprising aninner plate and an outer plate, d outer plate having a central openingformed therein, and a plurality of angularly disposed perforated lugsformed on the inner plate, said lugs adapted to center the escutcheonplates with relation to the housing and the opening in which it isinserted and said lugs adapted to receive wood screws insertable throughthe central opening in the outer plate, said screws entering the wood inthe door on an angle with relation to the longitudinal axis of thehousing and said screws being concealed by the outer plate wheninserted.

ELLIS L. WILSON.

